Bolden Bolstering the Backcourt

It is almost impossible to talk about College of Charleston Women’s Basketball without talking about Bre Bolden. While the junior shooting guard catches offensive attention, she continues to excel defensively. Along with surpassing the 1,000 career point mark, Bolden has also exceeded 200 steals in her playing days at the College.

If you ask Bolden which of her accomplishments mean the most to her, there are several to choose from, she proudly mentions the picture hanging at her alma mater, South River High School in Edgewater, Maryland, where she also reached 1,000 point plateau. Clearly Bolden knows how to score, but maybe even more importantly, she knows how to stop opponents from getting to the basket—or down the court at all.

Bre Bolden surpassed the 1,000 point mark at Delaware on Feb. 12. (Photo courtesy of CofCSports.com)

Being offensively and defensively minded, it is not surprising that Bolden has risen as “Queen of the double-double” in her past two years as a Cougar.

“That’s something I shoot for every game,” Bolden said. “I know sometimes it can be hard but I just try to put in the back of my head, ‘I’ve got to get a double-double for my team in order to win.’ It’s just a personal goal that I have for myself.”

The Cougars have not had the most desirable season, as evident by their eighth place mark in the ten team Colonial standings (4-12). Though it would be easy for a stand-out like Bolden to focus on individual achievement, she just does not fit that stereotype. “I play off my team. My team has supported me throughout everything, and so have my coaches,” Bolden said.

Leading the Cougars from the sideline is Coach Candace Jackson, who Bolden admirably describes as tough on her players. Their relationship is one of iron on iron, with Bolden noting that “she pushes me to the extreme, and has a lot of faith in me.”

Bolden also attributes a lot of her growth—both personally and professionally—to Jackson. “I feel like she makes me better… she knows what it takes to be a great player and I feel like that’s what she’s doing for me.”

Another key contributor in Bolden’s support system is her mother. On game days, Bolden wakes up to a text from her biggest fan, quoting scripture that often includes her favorite verse, Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Bolden spends the rest of the day seeking that strength through prayer and even listens to gospel music to keep her focus and put on that game-day hype.

Bolden loves the competition of college ball. “A lot of girls are mentally tougher, they’re stronger, they’re faster – and that’s what makes the game fun.” Bolden hopes to pursue a career in basketball after she hangs up her Cougar jersey.

Until then, Bolden will continue to be the driving spark in the College of Charleston Women’s Basketball fire, and we will all bask in the heat from the sideline.

Marianna is a junior Communication major and contributing sports writer for CisternYard News. You can usually find her watching Steph Curry drain threes or witnessing Serena Williams take over the world.